Of all the special occasion feasts, Chinese New Year is the most interesting to me. Unlike noche buena or media noche where heirloom recipes and family favorites are usually served, during Chinese New Year, we eat dishes that hold symbolic meanings.
In our family, a Chinese New Year meal consists of lucky foods which are believed to bring us good fortune in the year to come. On our dining table will be a whole fish with head and tail intact because fish signifies abundance, and head to tail represents abundance from beginning to end. There will be pork, dumplings, abalone, noodles, glutinous rice balls, oranges, each dish symbolizing wealth, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and good luck.
I must admit it is a tedious task to prepare a traditional Chinese New Year feast, and how lucky are we that we can now just take the whole family out to celebrate the special occasion at a restaurant. Or two. Or three.
Because I live closest to Mall of Asia and the new S Maison at Conrad, I thought I’d share with you my picks of dishes to eat in these two malls for a lucky and tasty Year of the Rooster.
One word to describe the siomai at Masuki - SIOMAI! Ginormous in size and packed densely with meat, it is best enjoyed drowned in the signature special sauce and then bathe with fresh calamansi.
UMA UMA
Noodles represent longevity and the maze soba is a wonderful way to eat your way to long life. Bouncy noodles that you toss with chunks of tender pork chasiu, bamboo shoots, spring onions, leeks, sesame seeds and a runny onsen egg, it is 100% MSG-free yet full of umami. Add a drizzling of chili oil to make things even more exciting.
Noodles represent longevity and the maze soba is a wonderful way to eat your way to long life. Bouncy noodles that you toss with chunks of tender pork chasiu, bamboo shoots, spring onions, leeks, sesame seeds and a runny onsen egg, it is 100% MSG-free yet full of umami. Add a drizzling of chili oil to make things even more exciting.
MANN HANN
Mann Hann oyster cake is a fluffly, gooey, chewy egg pancake studded with juicy, briny oysters. I know this sounds weird, but the best way to enjoy it is to smother the whole thing with ketchup. An oldie but always a goodie.
PARADISE DYNASTY
Radish in Hokkien sounds similar to good fortune, so the more radish you eat, the better fortune you will enjoy. Biting into Paradise Dynasty’s radish pastry's incredibly crisp and flaky crust reveals the naturally sweet, moist and creamy bundle of turnip strips. The play on different textures and flavours makes this golden nugget a sheer delight to eat. In fact, it is so delicious I sometimes I forget I am eating vegetable!
Radish in Hokkien sounds similar to good fortune, so the more radish you eat, the better fortune you will enjoy. Biting into Paradise Dynasty’s radish pastry's incredibly crisp and flaky crust reveals the naturally sweet, moist and creamy bundle of turnip strips. The play on different textures and flavours makes this golden nugget a sheer delight to eat. In fact, it is so delicious I sometimes I forget I am eating vegetable!
TIM HO WAN
The bean curd roll with seafood and pork is the siomai’s heartier and tastier albeit lesser known cousin. Wrapped in a spongy bean curd skin that has soaked up all the deliciousness of the soya-based gravy, this is one dimsum so flavourful it does not need any condiment.
The bean curd roll with seafood and pork is the siomai’s heartier and tastier albeit lesser known cousin. Wrapped in a spongy bean curd skin that has soaked up all the deliciousness of the soya-based gravy, this is one dimsum so flavourful it does not need any condiment.
FOUR SEASONS HOTPOT
Chinese New Year is about family bonding and a hotpot meal is the perfect venue for this occasion. Unlimited meats, seafood, dumplings, offals, vegetables, every kind of ball imaginable, sushi, sashimi, desserts and drinks, Four Seasons has the widest selection I've seen in Manila. There is something to suit everyone's taste, and you can eat to your heart's content for a price that just can't be beat.
Chinese New Year is about family bonding and a hotpot meal is the perfect venue for this occasion. Unlimited meats, seafood, dumplings, offals, vegetables, every kind of ball imaginable, sushi, sashimi, desserts and drinks, Four Seasons has the widest selection I've seen in Manila. There is something to suit everyone's taste, and you can eat to your heart's content for a price that just can't be beat.
MODERN SHANGHAI
Pork knuckle is one of the lucky foods to eat during Chinese New Year because its roundness and fattiness symbolise a well-fed year to come At Modern Shanghai, the trotter is braised until fall-off-the-bone tender, served with a superior brown sauce, and priced at P888 - the luckiest number which means "to prosper."
Pork knuckle is one of the lucky foods to eat during Chinese New Year because its roundness and fattiness symbolise a well-fed year to come At Modern Shanghai, the trotter is braised until fall-off-the-bone tender, served with a superior brown sauce, and priced at P888 - the luckiest number which means "to prosper."
BIJIN NABE BY TSKUDA NOJO
Imagine boiling and simmering Jidori chicken bones until they are fully dissolved and reduced to a rich and velvety chicken broth. And then imagine using this collagen broth to cook your complete meal of chicken, meatballs, vegetables, noodles, and shrimps. Every ingredient you put into this beauty pot adds a layer of flavor to the soup, making every sip a whole new experience. Best part is, the more you eat, the younger, more beautiful and supple your skin becomes.
Gong Hei Fat Choi and bon appétit!!!
Imagine boiling and simmering Jidori chicken bones until they are fully dissolved and reduced to a rich and velvety chicken broth. And then imagine using this collagen broth to cook your complete meal of chicken, meatballs, vegetables, noodles, and shrimps. Every ingredient you put into this beauty pot adds a layer of flavor to the soup, making every sip a whole new experience. Best part is, the more you eat, the younger, more beautiful and supple your skin becomes.
Gong Hei Fat Choi and bon appétit!!!